Wanted: Congressional reform

18-years ago, at the start of the 10th Congress, I wrote an article for one of the broadsheets on the same topic. At that time, I was assisting in setting up the office of then Sen. Marcelo B. Fernan. Interestingly, my article came out during the organizational meeting of the Ethics Committee, which he was chairing. I was asked to resign because of that article because Sen. Fernan didn’t want to “insult” his colleagues because of what I wrote. I stood by what I wrote and left his office by lunch promising to push for the reforms.

Invisible people

Is it apathy or indifference or we have just given up on them? Invisible people are all around the metropolis and more in urban areas. NEDA estimates that 25 million Filipinos currently live in poverty.

Years ago, we refer to shanties and colonies as their domiciles. Today, they live under bridges, in pushcarts and sleep on cold cements of sheds and pathways. If you happen to be traveling around midnight, you can see them around the metropolis and it seems government does not care.

Of renaming and UP tradition

THE first and only local bill renaming a street that was enacted by the post Martial Law Congress that went into a bicameral proceeding in the 8th Congress was that of renaming Vito Cruz. The House of Representatives passed the local bill renaming the whole stretch of Vito Cruz St. to Pablo Ocampo St. When it was discussed in the Senate, then Sen. Rene Saguisag asked for a research on the historical role of Vito Cruz, a street map which showed Vito Cruz traversing two political subdivisions: Manila and Makati; and a copy of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 1059, An Act Prohibiting The Naming Of Sitios, Barrios, Municipalities, Cities, Provinces, Streets, Highways, Avenues, Bridges, And Other Public Thoroughfares, Parks, Plazas, Public Schools, Public Buildings, Piers, Government – Crafts And Vessels, And Other Public Institutions After Living Persons. R.A. 1059 is vintage 1954 and is still in our statutes book.

Dissent & bashers

In recent weeks, I have been engaged in a conversation on the economy and flooding. I would like to think it was a conversation and not a monologue of criticisms. I am active in Social Media and I post when I like to post, if I like to post. A good guide for anyone interested in social engagement, but for some they think a criticism makes one a certified basher against this Administration. To the young trolls, dissent is certainly not bashing, check your dictionary, for if someone tells you it is, you are being fooled. And as Soren Kirkegaard once said, “there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

Where art thou Opposition?

Elections are all about choices and when these choices are predetermined by coalition politics, there is no excitement in the air. When there is no excitement in the air, turn out is low than the average at midterm. This election is for the books because turn out is atypical that of mid term trends.

In Quaerre

In quaerere is Latin phrase for in search. I was in search of the right title for my column that would reflect the kind of writing I would do on a weekly basis. It was not easy. From “look beyond the fluff” to “connecting the dots” to “ring a bell” to “cut to the chase” and what my staff suggested, such as “outlier,”“vantage point” and “soapbox.” I used to write a column under the title Dream Catcher, but that was more like my other hat where I write on positive things. But the dream went pfft and so I decided to stick to Zilch.

Am back!

Its been four (4) years and I have been out of the blog world for some reasons.  I hope to be back regularly.  I hope to link my Manila Times column, entitled ZILCH (same column as with The Lobbyist [www.thelobbyist.biz]) and this blog.

There are polls and there are some

POLLS were predominantly used and became more public in the country in the 90s. Previous to that, only a handful would use surveys for politics since these were viewed as strategic moves, secrets that only a few should know and can afford. Today, polls are a dime a dozen. From national and local candidates, survey firms are sprouting like mushrooms on rainy days. Nothing’s wrong with that. For so long as there are clients, there will always be room for a new outfit. Then again, the new outfit will have to compare itself with the two dominant commercial players: Social Weather Stations (SWS), a non-government organization (allegedly non-profit), and Pulse Asia, a private corporation (for profit).

Asean integration, ready or not!

THE Aquino III has been in its 3rd year in office and, interestingly, we have not made much inroads in foreign policy, save the predictable US-centric bias and the alarm bells mode on China. Our foreign policy should be dictated by the saving grace of the PH economy: OFW, but it seems we are too bipolar in approach. We are pro US and if anyone is against the US, we side with the US. The US foreign policy has shifted and pivoted back to Asia while ours remain in a time warp.

A legacy agenda

A sitting president is accorded two Congresses to put together the policies needed to propel one’ s administration and to sustain it beyond one’s term. In those two terms, the president can have divided houses or a consolidation of powers after midterm.

In search of a President

Its been a while since my last blog and what got me to blog again is the recently concluded ANC Leadership Forum last May 11, 2009.

There were only 5 leaders who showed up. Initially, the mayor of Makati, Jojo Binay and Senator Ping Lacson were supposed to have been present but both canceled the last minute. Senators Loren Legarda and Manny Villar were invited but sent their respective regrets. The same goes with Vice President Noli de Castro. Former president Joseph Estrada was not invited and no reason was offered by the organizers. It was supposed to be a leadership forum which to me meant a discussion of issues, policies and to a certain degree platforms. It turned out to be just an opening salvo to maybe a series of fora in the future.

Interestingly, it was held at Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola campus. It wasnt really the venue where you can get your typical Filipino voter (Classes DE). Even the organizers introduced the leaders as two were alumni, 2 taught in Ateneo and one was a product of Dela Salle but was a law classmate of the Dean of ADMU School of Government.

In my book who came out good copy was Secretary Gibo Teodoro NOT for what he said but because of the freshness and novelty of what he said and how he said it. He was presidential, he was cool, he was articulate in both english and tagalog. Clearly he painted himself as the protector of his president. But when he started to recite the "positive contributions" of his president, my stomach started to churn. Its good his audience was so polite that even while he was already spinning, no one in the crowd wanted to voice their objections to what he was saying. As i termed it after the forum, Teodoro was "amusingly surprising." But then again, no talk was made about his record as Secretary of National Defense and almost all critics were saying by virtue of being Secretary of Defense, he had experience. Media should start putting the so-called record into scrutiny in just the same way they viciously questioned Mar Roxas and Chiz Escudero.

Roxas, despite of his so-called Wharton degree ( a Bachelor's degree) and his investment banker experience (look what happened to his tribe in Wall Street) was to my book a downhill run. The only thing I can remember is about Korina, padyak, him being the positive contribution of PGMA and his closing of "di ko kayo iiwan, tuloy ang laban" mantra. When 10 minutes was wasted on Korina and padyak, who can say Roxas had what it takes to be President? I don't know who placed him in that light but whoever thought of padyak and his "di ko kayo iiwan, tuloy ang laban" is highlighting an obvious character flaw in the guy. Let me leave it at that for now.

Dick Gordon was his typical self. Surely this man could have been president. He had the track record, the command, and he can get his people to rally for any cause. "Vision, values, volunteerism=victory". He was in his usual self: the national cheerleader of Team Philippines and yet despite all of what he has done, he just fails to connect with Generation X and more so with Generation Y and the Millennials. Gordon will be an exciting player in formal debates because even in this forum, he was zeroing in on all the gimmicks of another. And one thing I noticed about the guy is that he has mellowed. He smiles more often and in fact quite emotional in several events already. His EQ is a lot better now and he addresses his audience. But he has to check his kilometric answers. As my neighbor said, "nalulunod sa haba ng sasabihin, nawawalan ng gana tuloy ang nakikinig."

Among Ed was like being in church when he spoke and answered questions. The audience was generally quiet (probably the Jesuit training was literally showing). "Wala tayong pera" was taken as gospel truth unlike when Chiz Escudero said "ang weakness ko Tina, hindi ako pinanganak na mayaman, hindi ako pinanganak na may pera at hindi ako pinanganak na may kapabilidad na gawin yung nagagawa ng iba." Critics of Escudero were one in saying that the answer was just a charade. That because he was an Escudero, he is rich. Media should check his claim. That's public record. Escudero is middle class. So they judge Among Ed differently from Escudero. When Escudero said he had donors, they took it to mean as being glib. Why? Didn't Among Ed had donors too?

Among Ed's engagement at the national level will definitely frame the debate. These lines are lines that the youth will rally on: "gusto kong tumulong sa aking bansa", "leaders should not compromise principles in serving the people", "we are in a point in time when our country has been so shamed."

So what about Chiz? Well I may not be the neutral pundit on this matter but I will try to be impartial. 1) Chiz was not a "bad communicator". If he was, then the audience would not have connected with what he was saying or the other leaders would have stuck to English throughout the night. When Chiz answered in tagalog (he was first speaker in the Forum), those who followed after him talked in tagalog save for Gordon. 2) His demeanor was not what one would expect for a polished candidate and yet he remained true to his age which appears to be his strength because the younger ones can connect. If critics were in the hall, they would have seen young faces nodding and old and weary faces grudgingly agreeing. Sans the image consultant work, Escudero was as original as he can be. 3) Chiz is not "sincere"? Really, can one show determine sincerity? Just because he talks in a rapid fire fashion, one can readily say Escudero is not sincere and because he was not sincere, he was not respecting the listeners??? That's a lot of BS. So what do you make of a leader who was born with a gold spoon in his mouth and drives padyak to prove he is one of the masses? Or another who describes his peace and order expertise as "balansiado"? Surely there are so much more criticisms against a young guy offering his future for a country in disarray and yet a critic said Escudero was like Senator Palpatine... and in another Escudero was only "capable of criticisms and not critical thinking." C'mon, the guy is not just hot air like how old fogeys paint him to be. Escudero is a product of UP from elementary, high school, college. He completed law from UP and got his Masters from Georgetown. He has 11 years tacked under his belt from Congress and previous to that was in media rendering legal advice and practicing law.

Record? Everything is public and media should be able to put those things together or would you rather he copies the style of old politicos and come out with paid releases just to plaster around town his accomplishments? Well, the search of a President is really hard to do especially when being the youngest is looked down upon. If it is insulting to question the motives of lurkers afraid to reveal their names but consistently snipe at Escudero, it is also insulting to tell young voters that they do not know how to vote.

For me, I would just let history be the judge, keeping in mind that our very foundation has been tested by young minds and fought for by young hearts.#

Don't Do Ads Now

I once met an ad guy who laughed at political campaigners who do everything by the numbers. He said that it is not the way to win an election. It was like a red flag to me because here was an ad guy saying there is another way of winning, when all along winning political campaigns is all about having 50.1 percent of the votes. Again, I repeat, elections are all about having the numbers to win and the ads are mere tools to increase awareness. They do not win elections.read more

Political Marketing: Battle of products and not advertisements

Selling Candidates is a title of the book launched on 13 May 2008 during the First Campaigners-Media Interface at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila. The Ateneo School of Government, Newsbreak, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) should be congratulated for their effort to bring together the heavyweights in the political consulting, campaigns, and political party establishment. KAS even brought in, straight from Germany, Dr. Helmut Jung, GMS Managing Director.read more

Ads Do Not Win Political Campaigns

In 2004, I was part of an effort where political advertisements played a vital role in the senatorial campaign of then candidate Mar Roxas. That campaign heavily relied on surveys, focus group discussions, and frequency maps that combined air and ground wars. It also relied heavily on organization. Many questions have been asked about that campaign. Many stories remained untold, more particularly the behind-the-scenes ones and backroom maneuverings. But I guess that would be told in fondness when campaigners try to recollect the shared experience we’ve had in making our then candidate be number one. read more

Linking with The LOBBYiST

I have been gone for quite sometime not because I do not want to continue this blog but because I have been busy with another product of my company, PUBLiCUS (www.publicusltd.com). We have launched three successive products last quarter of 2007 up to this June 2008. These are our Vox Opinion Research, our online magazine known as The LOBBYiST and our political risk assessment service known as PRISA to be launched by end of June 2008.

I hope you enjoy reading the various issues we have considered and please do leave your comments here or at The LOBBYiST. Cheers!

Comandante en Jefe

Fidel Castro, 81, has announced his retirement as president of Cuba after serving 49 years in the aftermath of an armed revolution against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. His announcement is five days short of his current mandate set to expire on February 24.

In 1965 he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic. In 1976 he became president of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. He also held the supreme military rank of Comandante en Jefe ("Commander in Chief") of the Cuban armed forces. On July 31, 2006, after undergoing intestinal surgery for diverticulitis, he transferred his responsibilities to the First Vice-President, his younger brother Raúl Castro. Castro is both admired and feared. Admired by leaders of the Third World for standing up to the United States but feared by some for suppressing freedom in Cuba.

As his political sunset mixes with the dark clouds, the man who loves to deliver long speeches in his green military fatigues said:
``I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander-in-chief,'' Castro wrote, according to Granma in its online edition. ``My only desire is to fight as a soldier for my ideas.''

When a so-called tyrant knows when to step down, somehow we in the Philippines hope to see a new dawn where leaders will owe up to their responsibilities and finally say, I am wrong and I am truly sorry for breaking your trust. I am resigning as President... ah someday probably.

The Building Storm

A flurry of texts came my way starting February 9, all enjoining friends to join the march at various points wearing various colors all meeting at the Ninoy Aquino statue by Paseo de Roxas. As the day nears, I kept praying there will be many who will join and this will not be the same faces or the same hakots seen in almsot all post-Erap rallies. I also prayed for sun so that it will be a warm day of again creating history.

On Friday, 15 February I decided not to join the various groups marching to the Paseo. I decided to walk on my own trying to remember when was the last time I joined a march, asking myself why I am here and what's the point of joining this effort. It was a cloudy afternoon with threats of rain pouring any minute. I decided to pass by a huddle where a security guard was telling everyone "ang daming tao, ito na siguro". I was wondering what he meant by that statement but along the way, you can hear people saying, "sana ito na..." Yes the crowd was big but its not the typical crowd you would see in the early days of people power.

What makes the rally unique were each of the streets leading to the statute were headed by different groups; there were no politicians going up the stage (they were all down observing and feeling their way), its a cross section of the society who listened and quietly left. The crowd was thick then some left by 5 pm and a different set of people, mostly young law students came by early evening, increasing the number to almost 10,000.

Indeed, these are again the small steps we have to take for our country. As a people, it seems we never learn.

"What is Neri afraid to say and Why?" - Jun Lozada

"Many speculations have been made as to what Neri knows about the ZTE-NBN most particularly the direct involvement of Pres. Gloria Arroyo in this abominable affair. After his damaging "Sec. May 200 ka dito" demolition of Abalos, the discredited former Comelec Chairman, many were left disappointed when Neri suddenly clamped up when the Senators started asking him about the nature of his conversation with Arroyo, no amount of coaxing, cajoling and threats was enough to break his Code of Omerta. The question on many people's mind was, What was Neri trying to protect when he repeatedly invoked "Executive Priviledge" during that gruelling 12 hour Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on live television?

We have known the Truth all along as one of the few people that Neri confided his predicament during those fateful days of April 2006, and how he wanted to resign his post of NEDA Director General and Secretary for Socio-Economic Planning over this incident where he lost all his moral respect for Pres. Gloria Arroyo.

We are doing this document to give the public an understanding of this predicament.

What is Neri afraid to tell the public? He is afraid to tell the public that after he reported the Abalos P200 million peso bribe offer, Arroyo casually told him to ignore it and work for its recommendation for approval anyway. That when he protested that it is too controversial and may attract the wrong kind of attention from media, Arroyo retorted back "Pakulo lang ni Joey yan and his father". When he tried to reason that it may not be accommodated in the Chinese ODA package because it has been filled up with a list of projects already,

Arroyo again ordered him to remove the low cost housing project and some water project to accommodate the ZTE-NBN deal in the ODA loan. That when he attempted to reason that it may not be approved in time for the Boao Forum which was only two days to go from that fateful April day, Arroyo with raised voice told him to include the ZTE-NBN project in the agenda of the following day's meeting of a combined NEDA Board and Cabinet Committee, who as expected promptly approved the project paving the way for the contract signing between ZTE and DOTC in China the next day. Neri is afraid to tell the public that this conversation took place between him and Arroyo because it might spark another impeachment complaint against Arroyo.

Why is Neri afraid to tell the public about this conversation with Arroyo? He is afraid that another impeachment will simply result to more expenses of public funds similar to the Hyatt 10 impeachment crisis, because as DBM Secretary who replaced Boncodin, he was entrusted with the large scale DBM payola operation of Arroyo to Congressmen, Senators and Governors not quite similar to the crude Panlilio incident that the public is witnessing now. He is afraid with a more partisan Andaya at the helm of DBM, more public funds will be spent to buy the silence and favour of these greedy legislators and local executives.

He is afraid that with Arroyo's firm control of public funds she can buy all the necessary support from most sectors of society to keep her in power.

He is afraid that even if the opposition knows about this conversation with Arroyo, he is afraid that the opposition will not pursue a serious impeachment proceedings against Arroyo, because it is not to their political interest that Noli de Castro becomes President in case Arroyo is impeached and becomes a more formidable political opponent in 2010. This insincere and unpatriotic goal of the opposition is already being manifested by the malicious speed that the Erap pardon is being cooked by Ronnie Puno together with the Erap camp to hastily put a united front of "Birds of the same corrupt feather" coalition against the emerging JDV led political opposition.

He is afraid that even if the Church knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, the Church will still not call for her resignation due to the closeness of Arroyo's trusted lady liason to the Cardinal of Manila who was very effective during the "Hello Garci" crisis. That Arroyo's Religious Affairs Operators have the Bishops firmly in their "donation" graces, as again manifested by the quick rebuttal of the Mindanao Bishops' of the call of their fellow bishops in Luzon who where calling for the resignation of Arroyo just after Arroyo gave them a visit in Mindanao.

He is afraid that even if the military knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the fraudulent ZTE-NBN deal, the AFP brass is much to indebted to Arroyo for their position and the perks that goes with their position, that they have demonstrated this twisted loyalty with their willingness to detain, remove from the service and even shoot their own men for voicing out their legitimate concerns regarding the corruption and moral authority of their Commander in Chief. It is a sad spectacle to see the respected warriors of the Marines & Special Forces rot in jail with their ideals, while their men are dying even without receiving the measly P150 per day combat pay that was promised to them by Arroyo due to lack of funds & generals gets a gift bag similar to those given to the governors and congressmen just for having dinner with Arroyo the day after that infamous breakfast & lunch meeting where bribe money flowed scandalously free.

He is afraid that even if the Media knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN scam, Media will simply wither in the torrents of cash and favors similar to how the Hyatt 10, Hello Garci crisis were killed in the media headlines and Radio& TV coverages. Although he believes in the integrity of a handful of Journalist, he believes that a handful of these mavericks cannot withstand the hordes of paid lackeys of Malacanang. Especially that the Arroyo crisis team is now being handled by the best mercenary money can buy, from Ramos Sulo Operation, Erap's DILG and now Arroyo's troubleshooter, Ronnie Puno. Ably supported by the Media and PR money from PAGCOR being handled by Cerge Remonte to buy positive airtime, headlines and editorials.

He is afraid that even if the Business Sector knows about the truth of Arroyo's direct involvement to defraud the coffers of the taxes they are paying, the businessmen will be reluctant to rock the boat of the current economic uptrend, especially with the very close personal and business relationship of the so called leaders of the big business like Ricky Razon of ICTSI, Donald Dee of PCCI and Francis Chua of the Filipino-Chinese Federation to Arroyo herself. He is afraid that the hard earned remittances of Filipino OFWs that is keeping the economy booming and that can keep the economy afloat even under any administration is being wasted under this unholy alliance of Arroyo and her favoured businessmen.

He is afraid that even if the Civil Society knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, that the Civil Society is now tired of mass actions after witnessing two failed EDSA revolutions, that Civil Society is now afflicted with a "Rally Fatigue" and cannot muster enough public outrage to denounce Arroyo's "corruption with impunity". He is afraid that the middle class is now indifferent to the corruption that goes around them, not realising that the middle class are the ones mainly carrying the burden of the loan payments for these corrupt deals. He is afraid that the middle class are more interested to become an OFW & to leave this country leaving their family and children behind, and may not care anymore about the crimes being committed against their country by its own President.

He is afraid that even if the Masa, the students, the workers knows the truth about Arroyo's direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal to steal precious resources from public funds, that they are now too poor and impoverished to be able to afford the time to join mass actions against the abuses of the Arroyo administration, that these former vanguards of mass actions in the country are now completely dependent on financial resources of professional organizers and have turned themselves into a "Rally for hire" groups rather than a true and genuine political gathering shouting for reforms.

He is afraid that the public may not know the extent of corruption in this country and may wrongly believe that they can cure corruption by simply replacing Arroyo with another person. He is afraid that the public may overlook the systemic and institutionalized nature of the source of corruption in this country, he is afraid that the people will again opt for a regime change without concern or a plan to correct the root causes of corruption in the country. He is afraid that people may not realize that it is not bringing Arroyo down that is difficult, it is establishing a new order that is the difficult task.

This is the predicament of Neri which I want people to realize especially to those who are asking Neri to tell the truth."

Of Mice & Mice

Ah... the best laid plans of mice and men... is what I remember a day after the intifada, with due apologies to John Steinbeck and my Arabs and Jewish friends. Nobel prize winning author John Steinbeck you see is the author of the famous novella Of Mice and Men while the intifada is an Arabic word translated to mean a rebellion.

The day after the removal of Rep. Jose de Venecia as speaker of the 14th Congress and the installation of Rep. Prospero Nograles, a congressman called me and said "look what happened to the House, members of Congress are lining up to the two son." My, my, my when during the time of Martial Law we hate KB and Imee Marcos. Today, its take this in your face brand of politics. The eldest was seen on the night of the kill presiding over the sidelines like a peacock so proud of its color, strutting his wares and mixing it up with cameramen. He was like a director shooting a scene. The neophyte, on the other hand, delivered a speech (I believe his inaugural) and talked about CHANGE. The eldest after the count, went back to his seat brimming with a singular accomplishment of removing a Speaker who cannot discipline his son and who keeps hiding in the skirt of the mother. Logically, he was proud. He had a unique gift to a proud father. The neophyte, on the other hand, sought the removed Speaker and shook his hand probably saying - "Speaker, di to personalan." In the Year of the Rat, mice are everywhere.

The word CHANGE was also murdered by the repetitive invocation of Members of Congress - young and old, those who voted in favor of removing the Speaker. Let us watch and see what change they will do so that they will not end up just like mice.

A Bloody Monday

In the column I wrote for www.thelobbyist.biz last November 27, 2007, I challenged Speaker Joe de Venecia to be the Speaker of the People. Yes, a lot of pundits were one in saying his taking the floor last 4 February 2008 was too late but its what he revealed and what he will continue to reveal that will make or unmake the rebirth of the quintisenntial trapo of Philippine politics.

In my 7 years at the House of Representatives, I had the ringside seat in observing the congressman from the 4th District of Pangasinan. He was your typical back slapping, thumbs up, winking guy who never says no. He will always try to accommodate you but somehow you have this sense or feeling that nothing will come out of it. The trappings of power were all around but the Speaker I knew was an ideas person. He coins words to describe his ideas such as the One Billion Trees Bill, 747 Program for Economic Take-off, Debt-for-Equity, Interfaith Dialogue (when it was not in vogue to do so), of late he had the Debt-for-MDG Investments.

When I started my lobby firm (www.publicusltd.com) in 2003 and handled the medical malpractice initiative (which is now known as the patients' rights), I again met Speaker Joe at his palatial home at Magnolia St., Dasmarinas with the victims and Ms. Korina Sanchez. After a presidential run and recovering from that fall, the Speaker was again in his elements. Sad to say, he was still the Speaker of the past, this time aged by years of politics and pained by the death of his daughter.

So when news came out over the weekend prior to the bloody February 4, I was shocked that the Speaker never planned for a preemptive strike or a counter offensive. I guess with his great political instinct, he knew in his heart that the Speakership is just a single vote and that is whoever holds sway in Malacanang. He knew quite well that it can be taken from him anytime. He knew then, when JDVIII came out, as he knew Monday morning that things will be forced, ready or not.

Its quite telling what Rep.Romualdo (Lone Dist, Camiguin) revealed on the floor about allowing consultations and giving time for Speaker Joe to consult but I guess there are people waiting to put the first knife courtesy of the son of the former Speaker Monching Mitra. When Rep. Baham Mitra declared only the seat of the Speaker vacant, he was clinical and stoic - its payback time. In the words of Sen. Miriam Santiago, "its karma".

In the 14th Congress, there are 240 members. 219 are district members or 91% and 21 sectoral members or 9%. There are 116 neophyte members, 57 on second term and 67 in their last and third term. To unseat the Speaker, one would need 121 votes. Already, there were 143 who signed the manifesto shown to Speaker Joe morning of Monday, 4 February.

So when what was agreed in the morning of Monday was suddenly set aside and when colleagues try to prevent the incumbent Speaker from taking the floor, it was clear that the end was near.

Speaker Jose de Venecia extemporaneously delivered a scathing indictment against President Gloria Arroyo, Mike Arroyo and the First Family. All summed up in two of the areas hampering this administration: corruption and extra judicial killings. If the 4th ranking official in the succession ladder is cowed and shoved like dirt because the First Family need to exact revenge then really our country is going to the dogs. Sobra na. Tama na. There is a third phrase to that but I will stop myself here and just say as one leader said, "you cannot stop the march of history."

Who stood out among the legislators? Rep. Pinol (2nd Dist., North Cotabato) summed it up as the motion to declare the seat of the Speaker vacant "is not about Mindanao." Rep. Jules Ledesma (1st Dist., Negros Occ.) was quoted as saying: "what's wrong? I just don't get it. We remove a Speaker and retain all chairpersons? We blame the Speaker for the sagging image of the House and yet we know its a collective leadership. I really don't get it!" Rep. Ronnie Zamora (Lone Dist., San Juan) on his part asked the most salient questions of the night: "why the Speaker alone? What reforms? (same question expounded by Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez [2nd Dist., Paranaque]) Why should we now participate in this?"

By the end of the voting, 174 voted yes, 35 no and 16 abstained. The missing 15 votes were absent. The writing on the walls are telling. We just might have the tide we are hoping for.